Oveta Culp Hobby

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Oveta Culp Hobby (January 19, 1905 – August 16, 1995) was the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, first director of the Women's Army Corps, and a chairperson of the board of the Houston Post.

Early life

Culp was born on January 19, 1905, in Killeen, Texas, to Texas lawyer and legislator Isaac William Culp and Emma Elizabeth Hoover; she briefly attended Mary Hardin Baylor College for Women, and attended law classes at South Texas College of Law and Commerce. She did not graduate from either school. She went on to study law at the University of Texas Law School, but she did not formally enroll and therefore never received a degree. Starting at age 21, for several years she served as parliamentarian of the Texas House of Representatives and was an unsuccessful candidate for the legislature in 1930 before beginning a journalism career in 1931, at age 26.

Personal life and family

In 1931, she married William P. Hobby, an editor and future owner of the Houston Post, who served as the 27th governor of Texas from 1917 to 1921. They had two children together. She took a position on the editorial staff at the Post. In ensuing years she became the newspaper's executive vice president, then its president, ultimately becoming its publisher and co-owner with her husband. In 1938, upon becoming vice president of the newspaper, she gave greater prominence to women's news.

Hobby and her husband were both Southern Democrats, but soon became dissatisfied with the party throughout the 1930s. They believed Franklin D. Roosevelt's social programs overextended their original intent. After World War II, Hobby tried to sway Democratic voters to swing Republican for presidential nominees by establishing many statewide organizations.

She died of a stroke in 1995, in Houston, and was buried at Glenwood Cemetery.

Her son William P. Hobby, Jr., served as the 37th lieutenant governor of Texas from 1973 to 1991, the longest serving in that position. Her daughter Jessica was married to Henry E. Catto, Jr., the former United States Ambassador to Great Britain and was an activist for environmental causes and for the Democratic Party. Hobby's grandson Paul Hobby narrowly lost the election for comptroller of Texas to Carole Strayhorn in the 1998 general election.

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Political career

Hobby joined the Eisenhower administration in 1953 after being named as the head of the Federal Security Agency, a non-cabinet position, although she was encouraged to attend cabinet meetings. She became the first secretary and first woman of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which later became the Department of Health and Human Services. This was her second time establishing a new government service. She made the decision to encourage Jonas Salk's polio vaccine in lieu of other HEW decisions and activities.

Culp attempted to restructure Social Security payroll taxes (FICA and SECA), but there was a lot of resistance. In 1955, she resigned from her position as a writer. She was embroiled in controversies relating to the polio vaccine Cutter Incident at the time of her resignation. Hobby, a Houston reporter, has returned to Houston as president and editor, and she has cared for her wounded husband. She went on to serve on numerous boards and advisory positions with various civic and business organizations around the country. Her honorary doctoral degrees were given to seventeen colleges and universities, including Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania. She was the first woman considered for a United States presidential nomination by an incumbent president of the United States; Eisenhower encouraged her to run for president in 1960, but she did not run.

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